Massachusetts
Kennedy, Delahunt back MMR protection
By JACK COLEMAN and KEVIN DENNEHY
STAFF WRITERS
OTIS AIR BASE - Department of Defense officials are again trying to
convince Congress to exempt military bases from federal environmental
protection laws.
Military officials contend that strict environmental oversight and
lawsuits hamper training.
So they resubmitted four provisions that were rejected by Congress last
year, measures affecting military lands, marine areas and airspace.
U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. William Delahunt,
D-Mass., said yesterday they oppose the exemptions, and efforts to ease
environmental rules on military bases are misguided.
The pair were at Otis Air National Guard Base yesterday to meet with the
families of Guard members stationed in the Middle East and to praise the
efforts of the military in the war against Iraq.
"There are sufficient protections now in the existing laws and it makes
no sense to alter and change those," Kennedy said. "There's a group in
the Senate that's been wanting to do that for some time now."
The legislation, which environmental advocates call an attempt for
environmental exemption, could be attached to the $80 million
supplemental budget bill to pay for the war with Iraq.
During recent Senate hearings on the subject, the example of Camp
Edwards resurfaced.
The Upper Cape base remains the only installation where the federal
Environmental Protection Agency banned live artillery firing because of
public health concerns.
This article can be viewed at:
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/kennedydelahunt6.htm
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